“She’s been demoted, but she hasn’t agreed to take the offer,” a production source snitched to Radar. The 56-year-old grandmother of two was the original Real Housewives star, making her debut on March 21, 2006.

The source said Gunvalson is up against a ticking clock: “Typically, the ladies are given a really short time, like five days, to either accept the offer from the network, or leave the show. There aren’t a lot of negotiations.”

“RHOC has been her whole life for like 15 years and she is the O.G. for a reason,” the insider continued. “Now Tamra is going to be the longest standing housewife.”

The axe was due to the fact that Gunvalson doesn’t have a storyline. “When you added that on top of the cocaine drama with Kelly [Dodd], it was just her time to go.”

Gunvalson’s drug accusations against Dodd was critical in the network’s demotion decision. “The cocaine allegations played a part, but there was no organic story with the remaining cast,” the source said. “No one wanted to shoot with her.

We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at 800-344-9598 any time, day or night.